Rabbits living in ‘egregious’ conditions seized from Aptos breeding facility

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Officials rescued 114 rabbits covered in feces, urine and puncture wounds from a breeding facility in Aptos on Sunday. The rabbits are now receiving medical care at the animal shelters in Live Oak and Watsonville. Todd Stosuy, field services manager for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, said the rabbits were being kept in cages filled with excrement, empty food bowls and half-filled Mason jars substituting for water bottles.

APTOS — More than 100 rabbits that were living in “egregious” conditions have been taken under the wings of area veterinarians after they were rescued from a breeding facility in Aptos on Sunday.

Todd Stosuy, field services manager for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, said officials had been monitoring the facility, located near Freedom Boulevard and Hidden Oaks Lane, for several years and decided to conduct a surprise inspection in the late afternoon.

In prior inspections, officials determined the breeder was abiding by a zoning law that allowed him to have up to 65 rabbits, was cleaning the cages and providing the rabbits with adequate food and water, Stosuy said. But officials decided to inspect the entire facility Sunday after finding two rabbits in an unsheltered cage filled with 5 or 6 inches of standing water.

“Basically, they were swimming in the water with the ability to get up on a small board that had been shoved in the cage,” Stosuy said.

He described finding 114 rabbits covered with urine, excrement and puncture wounds on the rabbits and cages whose floors were covered in 4 to 5 inches of feces. And “instead of having the little hanging water bottles, (the breeder) put in Mason jars filled with water,” Stosuy said. “As soon as they drank half of it, they couldn’t reach the water anymore.”

None of the rabbits were in bad enough condition to be euthanized, but half are pregnant, with several litters born since Sunday. All are now up for adoption from animal shelters in Watsonville and Live Oak.

The breeder, who was called out to the site during the inspection, told officials he went there to care for the rabbits five or six days each week. But Stosuy said many of the Mason jars were only half-filled with water, and what water remained was filled with excrement and rabbit hair.

Animal officials plan to file a report on the incident soon.

“We’re hoping the district attorney does look at this seriously, because these animals definitely were made to suffer and weren’t being provided food, water or sanitary living environments,” Stosuy said.

rabbits available for adoption

The 114 rabbits seized from the Aptos facility have been split up between the animal shelters in Live Oak and Watsonville. For information, call 454-7200 or go to www.scanimalshelter.org.